"I suppose I had better do as she says," Dolly soliloquized. "I like her immensely. I should be sitting on the bed dissolved in tears if she had not come in. I wonder where she lives. Here I have told her all about home, and Mother and Father and Fred, and she has not said a word about herself. How long she is getting back." In fact, before Elizabeth returned, Dolly had put away all of her belongings, and had donned a pretty white dress which the warm day rendered appropriate. She was giving a last pat to her hair, when a knock came at the door, and a moment later Elizabeth's face peered into the bedroom. "Oh, I see why you were so long returning. I concluded that you had forgotten me and had gone off to help some other Freshman unpack." "No, thanks," and Elizabeth gave a little shrug that Dolly soon learned to be characteristic. "I'm not in the missionary business. I just took a fancy to you, and I saw that you had no friends here any more than I did. We were two of a kind. Do you like my dress?" "Immensely. That shade of blue is just your color. But why are we dressing up, please? Is this a daily performance?" "Hardly. The Sophomores are going to pay their respects to the new girls tonight, and while there is nothing like hazing allowed here, there are all sorts of tricks played that the Faculty never takes any notice of. I thought that we might feel more ready for them if we had the moral support of our best clothes." "How do you know so much? and what shall we do?" "I spent last evening in Professor Graydon's room, and she told me everything that she thought a Freshman ought to know. If you want me to, I will come over here and we can receive together. Your room is stunning and we can certainly hold our own." "I thought we were going to make fudge." "So we shall, but we'll hide it when they come. Don't waste candy on Sophomores, my dear." Dolly looked up with a sparkle in her eye. "What will they do?" "There's no telling. Nothing dreadful. Make us sing for them or recite, or go through some absurdity." "If we refuse?" "They will simply let us alone, not only tonight, but during the rest of the year. The best thing is to meet them good-naturedly, do what they require, and turn the tables on them, if we can." "You must come here, of course. 'Tis a pity if a few Sophomores can frighten us with their jokes. I know one thing that we can do, Elizabeth. You see there is some advantage in having a brother." CHAPTER II "What? Tell me quickly. I would give almost anything to get ahead of Margaret Ainsworth. I know that she will be one of those to come. You must have done something, Dolly, to offend her, for she seems to meditate vengeance on you." Dolly drew her brows together in a perplexed frown. "I asked if she were a Senior, and she did--"